The Freezing Flame
by Darkanny
Summary: Look, Hiccup didn't want to be a half-blood. He really, really didn't; but when you can't live in your own home because of it, what other option there is other than grabbing your things and your dragon and moving to the only place you could be relatively safe in? No one said he had to like it, but maybe he could come to terms with it faster with some new friends along the way
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, just a lil "warning" here: all the characters that are NOT from rotg and httyd are completely OC's and have in no way relation with the original percy jackson series, so you don't really have to worry about having read the books or not. The gods and creatures, however, are the same from the series. Blabla I don't own Percy Jackson, HTTYD or ROTG.**

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><p>The storm wasn't supposed to be picking up this fast. He'd taken all the precautions before setting off, including checking rigorously the weather for every state he'd had to travel through over and over again and then twice more just in case, but it seemed the gods were against him here as well as back home, and now he could barely see what was going on around him.<p>

A loud rumble called his attention and he turned around, seeing how the clouds parted in some areas to reveal feathery wings and sharp claws. He groaned annoyed; they'd been following him for two hours now and still didn't tire enough to go away, contrary to himself and more importantly his mount, who was starting to drop a few feet every time thunder struck from the clouds.

Suddenly something glinted on the corner of his eye and he barely managed to turn back around when a clawed paw hit his face, sending him off his saddle and down. He fell, hearing the distressed call of his mount as his consciousness faltered, the black of the clouds blending with the uncertain shadows bleeding into his sight. He could feel gravity increasing the closer he got to the ground, and was sure his long journey would end with him splattered to the ground as an unrecognizable stain.

His body felt heavier and he knew he was just about to crash when something warm and rough grabbed his arm, quickly shifting to hold firmly onto his stomach, and then the hit came.

It hurt, incredibly so, but it only meant that he was still alive. Why, how was he still alive?

"Tooth…" He managed to whisper, his throat raw from the screaming he didn't realize he'd done during his fall, so loud was the wind whistling in his ears. The mass enveloping him shifted and gurgled pathetically, but managed to get up. The rain kept falling and he could hear the screeches of the creatures far above, searching for them. "We have to get outta here"

The night covered their trail as they moved, walking across open fields and crawling over small swamps created by the rain. At some point his leg got caught in a fallen hawthorn branch and the pricks that clung to his leg forced him to sit back on the saddle while he was carried through the inexistent path.

A new screech echoed nearby, different than the ones from when they were flying, sharper and of a higher pitch. He heard the rustle of grass being stepped on and a slithering sound following, and he knew he had to move faster. He didn't know what kind of creatures inhabited this country or if he could handle them as well as he did back home, but he didn't want to find out alone and injured.

Up ahead he managed to see a hill with a tall pine tree on top of it, and right next to it, under the branches, a huge, coppery dragon snoring under the dry protection of the tree. That was it, his only chance. If there was one talent he had, it had to be this one.

"Hey!" He called out, waving his arms around. The action was suicidal at best and he knew it, but if he didn't manage this little stunt he was going to die anyway. "Hey, wake up, you fat ball of scales!"

The dragon shifted, but didn't move otherwise, his sleep undisturbed by the rain drowning his shouts. The slithering and hissing got closer and faster and he tried to hurry his partner to get closer.

"Come on you useless reptile, get up!" He shouted again, seeing how the long tail moved back and forth in irritation. Just a bit more. "Wake up right now or so help me, I'll make a purse out of you!" A loud growl answered him and before he knew it the dragon was getting up, roaring in his direction and trotting down the hill towards him. "Yes, come on bud"

His mount grumbled annoyed but started running as fast as he could with his injuries after the fall, managing to put some distance between them and their pursuers. He could see them a bit better now with how close they were getting; three women with two long, thick trunks instead of legs were rushing through the tall grass, spitting and hissing as they long claws cut everything in their way.

The dragon was getting closer, smoke billowing from its mouth as it prepared to shoot. He knew this was his last chance.

He jumped from the saddle, wincing when landing on his injured leg, but managed to shakily get up and jog forward, stopping before the dragon could reach him, and raised his hands in front of his chest.

The dragon tilted his head and the smoke disappeared, its running turning into a light jogging and finally stopping a few feet in front of him. It stared at his hands and then at his eyes, and it seemed to be thinking of something while looking at him before it finally walked the distance separating them and nuzzled one of his hands with his head a single time. The snake-women screamed as they got closer and the dragon snapped his head towards them, growling loudly. It let out an ear-shattering roar that sounded like a mix of a battle shout and an alarm, and charged forward.

When he was sure his plan had worked, the boy panted out of both fear and exhaustion, but signaled his partner to follow him as he climbed up the hill while the dragon took care of the monsters for them. He'd had to come back to thank it later.

Just as they were reaching the pine tree—which had an odd, golden shining fluffy hide hanging from a branch—a rain of arrows came out of nowhere and flew towards where he had left the dragon and monsters. None of them touched the reptile, but most of them hit their target and got embedded into one of the women's arms or torsos. They screamed loudly, their wounds smoking for a second before they disappeared in a cloud of dust.

He managed to see the dragon trotting back uphill and something that sounded like rushed voices from his other side before he fell to the ground, exhausted. He felt hands touching his neck and face and wrist, someone lifting him and walking away and then suddenly the rain had stopped and the voices got louder and Toothless was crying out as more voices shouted at him to back off. Before he lost consciousness Hiccup had one last thought.

He'd arrived.

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><p>He woke up to a warm hand on his forehead and hushed whispers around him. He opened his eyes and at first the light made his head throb, the second time the light had been dimmed and he could take a look around.<p>

There were two more teens in the room, a divider closing off the bed he was laying in from the rest of what he could guess was an infirmary. One of the teens, a girl, saw he was awake and rushed out the door, no doubt to fetch whoever was in charge. The boy who was left turned to him. He was blonde and blue-eyed and overall had a very…sunny presence to himself.

"Hello there, my name's Rory and I'll be your doctor today" The boy greeted him, taking a pen from the chest pocket of his shirt to jot something down on the clipboard he was holding.

"Why? Am I getting a new one tomorrow?" Hiccup whispered before a coughing fit cut him off. He was handed a glass of something and didn't notice it wasn't water until he tasted his mother's mutton stew in it. He felt a warmth spreading from his chest to the tip of his toes and fingers and he felt way better than he ever did in ages.

"Alright smart guy, can you sit up?" Rory helped him up and checked his vitals quickly. Hiccup blinked groggily as whatever he'd drank made effect, and then a thought hit him.

"Toothless!" He sat up straight and made to get out of the bed but a hand on his chest stopped him.

"Whoa, hold on there, dude" The blond pushed him back down onto the bed. "You're not going anywhere just yet, especially without this" He reached down and pulled something from under the bed. "We were so freaked out when we found you, luckily my sister found this where you fell"

"Ugh, my leg" Hiccup dragged his hands down his face and made to grab the metal contraption, but Rory pulled it away. "Give me that, I have to go outside"

"Why the hurry? I say you should stay at least one more day to make sure whatever was broken has mended"

Hiccup didn't want to think in how many bones he'd snapped or how many days had passed since he fainted like a wimp so close to his destiny. He needed out, now. "Listen, I'm fine, I need to get to Toothless-"

"Toothless?" Rory asked. "You mean the dragon that has been prowling the border since we brought you in? That thing is anything but toothless, let me tell you"

"He's alright?" The brunet sighed and fell back on his pillow, sitting up again almost instantly. "I have to go get him, he must be worried sick"

Rory looked at him for a moment before going to fetch the metal leg again. "I can't believe that thing actually came with you, but then again we've had weirder things breaking in. Here you go, just sign your name in the check-out list by the door and you can go, but don't leave camp farther away than the pine tree, you're in no condition to fight just yet" He patted his shoulder and walked around the divider and out of sight.

Hiccup pushed the sheets back and sat on the edge of the bed, clicking his leg back into place and trying standing up. He must've been at least a full day in bed because all of his injuries were gone. Now if only he could somehow manage to grow his leg back. Oh well.

After signing the clipboard hanging by the door—that kid hadn't even asked his name, rude—he stood there, looking at the maze of halls twisting away into several doors and more halls. First he looked out through a window to see more or less where he should go. Outside he could see the building he was in was on top of a hill, there was a lake and in the middle of camp a bunch of cabins in an omega shape, and some scattered around that looked newer.

"I see you're getting acquainted with the camp grounds" A deep, soft voice said from behind him. Hiccup turned around and came to face a middle aged man in a wheelchair a few feet away from him.

"Hi, uh, I was" What was he even getting flustered about, he came in riding a dragon, he could handle an old man in a wheelchair. He offered his hand "I'm Hiccup…I mean Hamish! Hamish Haddock"

"Nice to meet you Hamish" The man smiled gently, shaking his hand. "I'm Chiron, the activities director here at camp. Now if you'd follow me please, I'll take you down to meet the rest"

Hiccup followed him as he wheeled down the halls, as in literally down, seeing at how the halls were built at an angle so he could wheel himself around easily. They passed many doors and as any windows, most of them looking into the forest right behind the building.

"So, the fact that you pretty much crashed here with a...ah, a _dragon_, and you passed the barrier with no problems I'm willing to believe you know who you are?" Chiron asked as they went down what Hiccup realized was a spiral made of the main hall that went down around the place.

"Uhu, um, son of…Hephaestus, I think you call him. Had to do a bit of research before coming here"

"Ah, of course, your intimacy with a fire-breathing animal should confirm that. You know, we had one of your siblings here many years ago, he also was fond of dragons" Chiron chuckled, his gaze getting glazed and far away, like a grandparent remembering their favorite grandchild. "Were you claimed already?"

"A flaming hammer appeared on top of my head when I was ten if that's what you mean" Hiccup shrugged, a bit too on the side of stiff. "The same day I found Toothless and brought him home with me"

The man nodded, reaching the lower floor and passing by what looked like a mix of office and game room, with a desk and a pool table where a man wearing a leopard print shirt was playing. They continued to the main door and Hiccup followed him outside.

The sun was shining where one—two?—day/s ago had been rainy and with a raging storm all around the valley. The lake was full of canoes and kids swimming, and a few where just walking or lying around the greens between the cabins. There was also an arena on one side and a strawberry field right beside what Chiron had told him was called the Big House.

"Alright, if you follow me please, I'll take you to your cabin so your head counselor can show you around-"

Hiccup interrupted him. "Thank you, sir, but I'd really like to go see my dragon, I don't know how long I was out and I'm worried about him"

Chiron smiled and nodded, calling someone over from a porch nearby. "Of course. You arrived yesterday night and it's already past noon. You just missed lunch. But you're right, he was very concerned about you, so much the nurses had trouble tending to his wounds with how much he was fussing. Peleus—our local dragon, I think you already made his acquaintance—has been taking care of him" The person he'd called over, a man with eyes all over his body—Hiccup was reluctant to admit he wasn't even surprised about stuff like that anymore—arrived to their side, nodding once at the man. "Argus, take Hamish to his dragon please" The multi-eyed man nodded once more before nodding for Hiccup to follow.

Hiccup looked at him and then at Chiron, biting his lip before following after him, leaving the man in the wheelchair to roll down the path towards the cabins.

It was a silent trip, Hiccup didn't feel like he could strike up a conversation without getting tongue tied or making a fool of himself. It had been an eventful week since he left home and started his journey to arrive at the only place he could be at the moment. They passed by many campers of all ages, some waving or nodding their heads in greetings, some looking at him up and down disinterestedly or some just not paying attention to him. They reached the hill and climbed to the pine tree.

A loud whine welcomed them and not a second later Hiccup was being tackled to the ground by an overexcited reptile licking his face. He fell back with a groan. Argus took a step aside with the grace of someone used to people getting tackled around him.

"Bud, no—it doesn't wash off! I'm fine, stop!" Hiccup laughed, pushing at the dragon's head good naturedly. The dragon gurgled happily and smiled a toothless smile, looking at the other dragon while wagging his tail madly.

Peleus huffed but tilted his head, nudging Toothless forward with his tail so he could leave him to resume his nap. The black dragon bounded over to nuzzle him and lick his face one last time before going back to his rider who had managed to get up and was trying to wipe the saliva out of his clothes. Toothless' black hide made it difficult to see but he had a series of scars littered all over his chest and belly from running through the wilderness, as well as the ones in his back from the fall. His wings looked fine from afar but Hiccup could see the small tears in the membrane. If he managed to get some salve from the infirmary he could take care of those. The red prosthetic tail that connected to the saddle had been lost on the trip. The saddle was nowhere to be seen.

"How are you doing, bud? I heard you were giving the healers a hard time?" Hiccup cooed, petting his flank as Toothless whined and lowered his eras; he was too worried about Hiccup to trust anyone near him. "But your friend made you all better, yes?" Peleus grumbled and turned away, covering his head with a paw. "Wanna go check out this place?"

Toothless' ears perked up again and he bounded over through the border. Hiccup heard a couple of screams and some curses and then Toothless was back in sight, waiting for him to follow. Argus had already left after making sure Hiccup would be alright with the two dragons, but he could see him nearby, waiting just in case.

They went back to camp, Argus turning towards the big house with a departing nod as Hiccup and Toothless made their way towards the cabins. He could more or less tell which cabin corresponded to which god but some didn't give much clues, like one that looked exactly like a forest cabin made with slightly shiny wood. The one cabin that looked like a mini version of a car factory was most likely the one he should be going to, so he tried to ignore the looks the campers around were giving him, his leg and his dragon and walked up to the door.

It opened after a couple of knocks and a lot of gear-turning, and a hefty black girl at least 4 inches taller than him was the first person he saw. He had to tilt his neck back a bit. She had curly brown hair tied up in a high bun and both her hair and overalls were covered in grease and grime. Her brown eyes looked down at him unimpressed.

"Yes?" She asked in a very soft voice that didn't fit her at all. Hiccup shuffled under her stare.

"Hi, I think this is where I'm supposed to come to? Hephaestus cabin?" His voice was a trickle weakly pouring from his throat. Maybe he got the claiming wrong? The kids in the cabin next door looked a bit more like him, if not ridiculously attractive, but way closer than his…sister.

"Oh, new camper" She said with the same softness, her face relaxing a bit. Suddenly her voice did fit her and Hiccup felt way less intimidated as she leaned carefree against the door. "We don't get out much, the whole place could catch on fire and we wouldn't notice until the ashes went cold. Come in"

She went back inside, apparently not noticing or not caring about the huge reptile following him as he let himself in. Hiccup looked around in awe at the bunks folding against the walls as they were emptied, at the glowing lights and—okay, he was sure there couldn't possibly be a second floor? The floor was full of loose wires and broken pieces of metal and empty bottles of oil littering everywhere. There was a circular staircase that the tall girl was walking down and he hurried to follow her to a basement full of scary looking weapons and scrap metal on a workbench. Toothless tried his best to fold his wings in tight and keep his tail as still as possible as he navigated the place after his rider.

"I'm Sandra, cabin 9's head counselor" She said as she was sitting down at the workbench, picking up a drill to work on a metal plank. "You can go ahead and pick one of the free bunks. Those are the ones not folded. You can input a code or trick so only you can open them, I shouldn't have to explain how you could do it if you're actually our brother. Afterwards you're free to do whatever you want"

Hiccup waited for her to say anything else but she remained silent, which he took as his cue to leave. Toothless hadn't been able to squeeze downstairs and was waiting for him upstairs. Hiccup picked up a bunk and decided to input a code just for now; he wanted to go out as soon as possible to wander the grounds.

"Let's go" He called the dragon, and they made their way outside.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun always shone down on camp, is what Hiccup discovered shortly after getting out of his cabin and actually taking a look around. He could've realized before but, you know, the whole thing with being chased by gryphons and snake women kinda set your mind on other things.

At first, he just stood there. Where were you supposed to go when you had just arrived, not only to the place you most likely would spend the following years in, but also the freaking country itself, for the first time ever? He was lost, his English was good enough but he still had enough of an accent to be recognized as a foreigner, he had brought a dragon to a land where they didn't really see them with good eyes, and to put the metaphorical cherry on top of the metaphorical cake he had zero skills in making friends.

He was a village boy, born and raised in a land of perpetual winter and solitude where every night could be the last. He had been born too early, small and weak but screaming so loud that the birds resting in the trees outside had flown away, scared. The other kids his age were scared of him, of his mother who disappeared into the woods and came back at night, her pockets full of something heavy and arms carrying big jars of some slobbery substance that sold particularly well as medicine for burns and cuts, but that none of the other mothers could identify. They told their kids to stay at a safe distance from the Haddock's house. The boy liked to play with his father's tools and fire and could be dangerous to be near him. His father was respected enough; a hardworking man of traditional values, from a good family that had its roots firmly planted in the dirt that was the village's history. He loved his son with as much love he could fit in his heart, but not even Stoick could be of help when the truth about his family unveiled before his very eyes.

Hiccup got shaken from his thoughts by something standing before him. Toothless stood on his hind legs, taller than his rider and with his wings spread to block the strong sunrays that fell mercilessly on his skin as he got lost deep in thought. Hiccup's home never got a lot of sun, and Toothless didn't want him turning into a lobster on his first day at his—their—new home.

The dragon tilted his head at him, silently wondering why they weren't exploring already. Toothless had dragged him all around and over the island back home and they knew every nook and cranny there was, but this place was new and bigger and warmer and there were so many different people! Toothless didn't want to stay still any longer and Hiccup knew it. He reached up to pet the dragon's face, having to stand on his tiptoes to manage.

"So you're the crazy kid who brought the lizard" A voice interrupted them, a very sing-songy voice that sounded more impressed than concerned.

Hiccup would admit only to himself that he almost jumped when the newcomer came near, because he was _huge_. A tall teen with broad shoulders and a lean but stocky physique that clearly said 'you can run but the chase only makes it better'. He had a crazed smirk with equally unsettling green eyes, and bright red hair pulled back in a braid. His nose looked like it had been broken a couple of times and Hiccup felt like whoever had done that probably wasn't around anymore.

Hiccup felt a strange pull on the pit of his stomach. He ignored it.

"Not very fond of these things, but couldn't exactly shoot it with you in my arms" The boy added, looking the dragon up and down as if assessing a challenge. Toothless' pupils narrowed dangerously and his teeth were suddenly on display along with his growl. The redhead smirk grew bigger and then Hiccup realized what he'd just said.

"Wait, what? _Me_? In _your_ arms?" Hiccup asked after finding his voice again. One of the problems of having an almost telepathic communicational level with a dragon; you forget to speak sometimes. "I don't eve—who are you?"

The stranger chuckled, and then the chuckle turned into a laugh, and then it was so loud some people nearby ran away. "Oh, you're funny, I like that" He offered his hand. Big and covered in scars. "Dagur, son of Ares"

_No kidding._ Hiccup looked at the hand stretched his way. Trying to find a trap somewhere, but not finding anything wrong, he shook it with his own way smaller hand. "Hamish, but uh, just-just call me Hiccup, the name's a bit snobbish for my taste" He let out a nervous laugh, especially at how much strength he could feel from him from just the handshake.

"Hiccup" Dagur repeated, tasting the name and apparently finding he liked it. "I was the one who brought you to the infirmary when you arrived. Anyone could have done it, really. A feather weights more than you, but everyone else was busy trying to hold that thing back" He nodded in Toothless direction, earning a new growl from the dragon and a frown from Hiccup.

"He's not a 'thing'. He's my best friend" Hiccup said sharply, taking a step back from the guy and near Toothless, making his point clear.

Dagur raised his hands, taking a step back himself at the obvious warning in the smaller teen's voice. "Okay! Okay, I get it, sorry"

Hiccup looked at him curiously. To be honest this guy didn't strike him as the kind of person to apologize, like, ever. He probably went out of his way to make sure everyone agreed with him in everything, and if they didn't, he made sure they learned their lesson. Why was he so fast to say he was sorry when not a minute ago he was pretty adamant about killing his best friend without a second thought?

Or maybe he was just deciding about his personality based on his appearance and godly parent. He found it ironic, being that he had been many times excluded exactly for that; for being too small and weak and looking like he couldn't lift a twig, much less play with a group of older kids.

Hiccup sighed, and patted Toothless' neck a couple of times. "It's alright. Just, don't go trying to kill my dragon and we'll be fine"

Dagur made a cross over his heart with a finger. "Promise" He grinned that pretty much demented smile of his again, and settle his fists on his hips. "So, do you need someone to show you around, Hiccup?"

The rest of the evening went by with Hiccup trailing after the redhead, trying to take it all in at once. The arena was big and full of kids. Dagur had supplied that most of them were his siblings or campers from the Nike cabin. He'd had to pull Hiccup out of the way of a wayward arrow when the brunet got distracted checking out the architecture of the building. Later on they went to the forge, where Hiccup got stuck a good 30 minutes trying to make a mental list of all the different kinds of metal in there and what he could do with each when he had free time. He had to be dragged away to the strawberry fields where his trousers got stained red as he picked up some of the fruit on their way to the Pegasus stables.

"Whoa" Hiccup breathed when they arrived. True, he was used to dragons and flying, but he'd never seen an actual Pegasus in the flesh. The animals with their shiny manes and feathery wings neighing softly at his arrival, trying to get closer to see him and Toothless better from their stalls. Then Dagur entered and all the animals jumped away from their respective doors, whining loudly and getting as far away as possible. "Uh…"

"Don't worry. They don't like me" Dagur shrugged, picking up an apple from a sack and throwing it into the air a couple of times before taking a huge bite out of it. "You can come back later, without me. Maybe then they'll play with you"

They passed by the armory, and this time it was Hiccup's turn to drag the redhead away when he started, very enthusiastically, picking up and naming every weapon and showing him the best way to cut a gorgon's head or a dracanae—the snake women things that were chasing him the day before-. By the time they reached the Mess Hall Hiccup was tired and just flopped down on a random table. Dagur sit down next to him and a glass of water appeared out of nowhere next to him.

"Your table is over there, by the way" He said, pushing the glass towards Hiccup. "This one is Hecate's, but it's not really dinner time so I don't think she'll care if we sit here for now"

Hiccup downed the water and regretted it immediately, trying to catch his breath afterwards. "Alright. Thanks. I'll have that in mind" He took the time to look around the pavilion, the tables ordered neatly next to each other. There were around twenty tables, if not a few more, all big and shiny new, as if they were never used by a bunch of rowdy teenagers.

"You know, if you're still tired we could continue tomo-" Dagur interrupted himself and his expression changed from relaxed and easy-going to angry and nearly threatening in a matter of a second as he glared at something right over Hiccup's shoulder.

Hiccup turned around and nearly had to look away from the brightness. It wasn't something, it was someone, someone with such a pale color palette that the sunlight made them almost hurting to the eyes. Once they got closer and more into the shadows it was a bit easier to see them. Another boy, pale as could be with a shock of white hair. He leaned over a table in the corner, picking at a fruit bowl when he probably felt Dagur's stare and stopped to turn around and blink at them. He waved.

Hiccup waved back slowly, tilting his head. Why was Dagur so angry at that guy? He didn't look harmful at all; more like the vanilla frosting on a cupcake. The guy seemed to sense Dagur's hateful glare, because he bit down on a peach and picked one apple in each hand and ran away…no, that was wrong, he _floated_ away.

"Who's that?"

"Frost" Dagur answered shortly, tapping his fingers loudly on the table. "I'll let you go back to your cabin. I'll be at the arena if you need me" He nodded once in farewell and stood to leave.

Toothless warbled in question from his spot lying next to Hiccup on the floor, looking curiously between the spot Dagur had emptied and the one the flying boy had been in. Hiccup scratched behind his ears absently.

"Yeah bud, me too"

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><p>Hiccup was still a bit tired from his crash landing the day before, so going back to his cabin sounded pretty good to be honest. He got lost twice and ended up in the armory and the stables before finding the cabins, even though the cabins where closer to the pavilion. He decided to think about that after a good nap.<p>

Fitting Toothless into his bunk had been a nasty job, but a job he had managed at the end. Luckily his bed was the bottom one so gravity didn't affect it much; plus he didn't have to worry about crushing whoever was sleeping underneath. He hadn't had this problem back home, mostly because after bringing Toothless home his mother had helped him make a makeshift 'nest' on the floor with as many pillows, quilts and sheets they could find or make, lined with clean wool from the farm next door. There he and his dragon had spent the last five years sleeping together, never feeling the cold of the floor thanks to the internal heat of the reptile.

He didn't realize he'd fallen asleep until he felt someone shaking him awake, making him fall from Toothless' belly where he'd been laying on top of the dragon as he occupied all of the bed. Hiccup looked up at Sandra, the counselor looking at him impassively with her sleepy eyes.

"It's dinner time. Come on, gods know you need some meat in those bones just to lift a hammer"

The light of the setting sun filtered through the smudgy windows and he could see that they were the only two left in the cabin, all the others already out and eating most likely.

He slurred a half-assed apology, sitting up to rub the sleep off of his eyes. The girl patted his shoulder and left as silent as she'd arrived to let him collect himself.

"How much did we sleep?"

Toothless dragged himself out of the bunk, grumbling and patting the floor.

"That much, huh"

When they got out, he could both see and hear the rest of the campers having dinner, the torches of the mess hall lighting all the way down to his cabin. He walked up the path and squeezed into the line to get food. He saw many kids walk up to a giant brazier to dump a part of their food while saying the name of a god. He quickly understood and did the same, not out loud but thinking about his…father's name.

He took the moment the flames went up to look around now that there were people around. He could see a lot of those pretty kids in the table next to where his counselor was sitting, the kid who had played doctor for him on the table on the other side, and so on with the other tables. He saw Dagur tearing away at what looked like an entire leg of lamb. He waved at him when he caught sight of him, meat sticking from his mouth.

Hiccup waved back and kept on looking, moving out of the way for whoever came next to burn their offerings. He saw some tables completely empty, and there were two that only held one person each; one where a very buff guy was chewing a pretty colorful salad, and the other one where the pale kid from earlier was just sitting around, plate already empty in front of him. There where shiny bits all around the table and Hiccup soon realized they were frozen spots.

"Sit down, you're creeping me out" A boy from his table called out, pulling the edge of his shirt to get him to the table.

"I'm just trying to get used to the place, there's nothing creepy about that" Hiccup said, huffing as he sat down next to the boy. He almost knocked Hiccup out of his seat with how broad his shoulders were.

"There is something creepy about hanging out with Dagur, though" A brunette girl from the Hollywood Star table said, totally assuming the conversation was open to everyone, it seemed.

Hiccup glared at her. "What would you know? He was pretty nice to me"

"That's even creepier, he's never been like that before" A girl from his own table added, and soon enough everyone around him was adding their own opinion.

_"__He's deranged"_

_"__Do you think he's planning something?"_

_"__I'd be careful if I were you"_

_"__Are you gonna eat that potato?"_

_"__I can't believe you went to the armory with him and walked out without a scratch"_

"Okay that's enough!"

The entire table plus the Aphrodite one looked at him, stunned. He looked way too small to have such a commanding voice. Hiccup visibly bristled and stood up, leaving the place as fast as he'd arrived. The commotion seemed to have caught everyone's attention, so while they were all watching the little new kid leave, no one noticed the cold rush of wind that flowed afterwards.

* * *

><p>It wasn't really late, but the moon already shone down the lake; its light making the water look almost like molten silver as Hiccup threw pebble after pebble into its depths.<p>

"The naiads don't really like that, you know; I learned the hard way"

Hiccup turned around only to find no one where the voice had come from. He squinted, trying to find if there was someone hiding in the woods. There was no one.

Until he turned back to face the lake and came face to face with a ghost.

He screamed, falling back into the sand and scrambling up the beach. His prosthetic got caught in a buried branch and he got stuck in place. The ghost floated closer and touched down, standing near enough for Hiccup to notice he was a bit too solid to be a specter.

"Sorry, I suppose I'm used to people ignoring me" The boy grinned, kneeling next to him to untangle his leg free.

Hiccup finally recognized him as the boy from the frozen table and calmed down enough to stop feeling his heart trying to burst from his chest. "You are...who are you?"

The boy smiled, looking happy just being asked his name. "Jack"

"Frost?" Hiccup completed, remembering what Dagur had said—growled—that evening. Jack laughed.

"That's how they call me, yes" He sat down next to Hiccup on the sand. Hiccup could feel the temperature around him lowering a few degrees. "It's Overland, actually, but Frost suits me better"

Huh. "I'm Hiccup"

"Yeah, the kid who stormed in on a dragon, chased by dracanae and taming Peleus as if he were a puppy at the adoption center"

Hiccup giggled, and quickly slapped a hand over his mouth. He didn't giggle. "Well, yeah. When you put it like that it does sound pretty impressive"

"It was really impressive though" Jack said. "Most of us didn't actually see you until you were discharged from the infirmary, but we thought you would be this big, awesome giant taking the place by storm, child of Ares most likely"

Hiccup snorted.

"Imagine our surprise when this fishbone of a kid comes walking down the hill, a dragon-puppy at his heel, and heading straight for the Hephaestus cabin"

"Well, it's certainly not the first time someone thinks like that, I assure you" Hiccup murmured, hugging his knees to his chest.

Jack repeated the motion, burying his feet in the sand. Bad thing about trying to meet people; you don't know anything about them, so the conversation dwindles fast. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence though, it was actually kind of nice. The sky was clear as always and the water rippled with the wind.

"It wasn't this cold when I got here" Hiccup said absently, eyes focused on the reflection of the silvery moon on the water.

"Oh, uh, that would be me, sorry" Jack said, and as soon as he'd finished Hiccup felt the wind calming down and the temperature raise slightly.

"Wow, that's pretty cool" Hiccup blinked, noticing not even the slightest caress of wind on his face.

"Yeah. Boreas. Wind, snow and ice are my thing"

"Now it's _literally_ cool"

Jack smiled, his smile reaching the corner of his eyes and making them crinkle. Hiccup noticed his entire being seemed to be a representation of winter itself; he was tall and willowy, like something the wind could pick up easily and carry around. He was so pale he was almost clear, and his eyes were the blue of icebergs and his hair the white of snow. Hiccup felt strange when thinking that watching him made him feel home.

"Hiccup?"

Jack stiffened and frowned, all that shining joy bleeding from his face and posture in less than a second. Hiccup saw a familiar head of red hair coming out of the forest, stopping as soon as his eyes landed on Jack. Even from the distance, he could see Dagur frown.

"Well, it has been fun but the bed has been waiting for me. Goodnight" Jack got up, his feet lifting from the ground as he went away the other way, floating back to camp as far away from Dagur as possible.

Hiccup bid him goodbye as well, already sure there must've been some animosity between those two. That would be difficult later on, seeing how he seemed to get along with both boys pretty well. But then again, when was anything easy in his life?


End file.
